Sparks
by LifeEqualsMusic
Summary: When you wake you shall have all the pretty little ponies.


**This is a re-post of the crappy old story I posted a few years ago. It's also on Fictionpress, so if this gets taken down, that's where it'll be. Same username, yo.**

* * *

_Hush-a-bye,  
Don't you cry,  
Go to sleep my little baby.  
When you wake you shall have  
All the pretty little ponies._

**Chapter 1**

Everyone dies. It's just something you can't escape. You can't hide from it; you can only delay it for what? Seventy, eighty years, maybe ninety, if you're lucky? I wouldn't say life is short, it's the longest thing you'll ever do, but when you only have a hundred years, you've got to do whatever you can to make your life worth something, to maybe try and make a difference in the world before you choke on a piece of cornbread… Or something.

Call me a cynic if you'd like, but I haven't exactly had the easiest life. Of course, I'm not so vain as to suggest that my life has been terribly hard, because there are a lot of people worse off than me, and to be honest, I think they've turned out to be better people. I have two parents, I live on a ranch, we're well off, money-wise, and all in all, right now, everyone is doing pretty well.

That's not to say I haven't had my fair of hardships. When I was two, my father disappeared. Not, 'he left us for a different family,' or, 'he had a heart attack and died,' he just disappeared. He could be dead, or maybe he's just working for a top secret part of the government. Either way, my mom calls herself a widow and remarried when I was three, to a surgeon that worked one of the hospitals in Calgary. His name is Dmitri Reauford, and while he's not my biological father, he's the guy that taught me how to gut a fish, the one who read me _the Berenstein Bears_ every night before bed, without fail. We might not be related by blood, but he's my dad.

I was born a month and a half prematurely, and as a result, I was always quite sickly as a child, often in and out of the hospital. I've heard the words, 'I'm sorry' come out of doctors' mouths insincerely more times than I can count. Thankfully I grew out of most of these illnesses as I grew up, but I still get sick pretty easily. I don't generally talk about my illnesses though, so let's move on.

The girl's name was Dylan Woods, and I went to the hospital with her while my mom saved the horse. It was night by the time she woke up, and her parents still hadn't showed. Apparently, they were both drunks, and her mom had gotten knocked up with her when she was sixteen. They'd never really wanted her, and she'd paid her way through riding lessons until her parents found out she was spending money 'unnecessarily,' and forced her to stop. I'd told her my story, and that was the moment our friendship truly sparked.

When she was released from the hospital the next morning, I asked her if she had a place to stay, and when she said that she didn't, I immediately offered the ranch to her, an offer she gratefully accepted. We took a cab back home, and I still remember the moment she saw the ranch, and though she was eighteen, I was still surprised when she swore.

'Holy shit, _this_ is where you live? You work for the Vissers?' Okay, maybe I should explain that. Even though my dad's last name is Reauford, my mom has never been the type to change things about her just because she gets married, and we took her maiden name after my biological father disappeared. My full name is Blaire Visser. I don't have a middle name. Anyway, my mom set up this ranch for rescue horses, but we also help problem horses that people have brought to us, whether they need training, or they're difficult to trailer, or anything else like that. Some of the rescues get rehomed, but a lot of them we use in the advanced lessons we teach.

'Actually, I'm an owner and the lead instructor.' Dylan's mouth dropped open in shock. 'What? Is there a problem?'

'N-no, I just wasn't expecting to ever be able to come here on my own terms, that's all.' There was a pause, and she laughed. 'God, I can't believe I know a _Visser._' I squirmed in the back of the cab.

'It's not a big deal, we're just a normal family. We just happen to run a ranch too, that's all.

'Yeah, a normal family with a ton of money and a gift with horses. You guys have the best trainers in the province.'

'Actually, my mom and I do most of it by ourselves. The training, anyway. We have hired help for the nasty chores.' I said the last part as a joke, not because we don't have stable hands, but because I wanted to lighten the mood and prove that I was normal.

'Can- can you hire me? My parents probably won't let me back in the house now that I'm eighteen, and I don't really have anywhere else to go. It doesn't matter what you give me. I can clean stalls, feed, water… You know, the jobs that nobody else wants.' Her eyes were shining so brightly that I couldn't turn her down.

'I'll talk to my dad, okay? He's in charge of the books, but I'm sure we can find a place for you in our family.'

'Oh, Blaire, thank you. You don't know how much this means to me.' She smiled and leaned back against the seat. 'I'll have an actual _job_. I'll be able to make my _own_ money and support myself for a change.'

'Well, I never turn down a person in need,' I said warmly, and paid the cab driver when we reached the barn. I started into the aisle to go to my dad's office, but Dylan stopped in her tracks.

'Wait. Visser… I know I've heard the name somewhere else, too…' My stomach tightened and panic flashed in my eyes.

'Y-yeah?' I fought to keep my normally cool exterior present. 'Where do you think you saw it?' Finally, her eyes widened in recognition, and she squealed.

'Oh my God, _Blaire Visser!_ I saw the article the newspaper did about you helping that hunter/jumper that wouldn't jump. How did you fix him?' My shoulders sagged in relief. My mother's secret was safe for now.

'I did a little detective work. His previous owners had people stand on either side of the jump and whip him as he went over.' Dylan's face darkened at that, and I continued. 'Anyway, he developed a fear of jumping, and when his new owners bought him as a hunter/jumper, they brought him here to be helped. Once we figured out what he was afraid of, it was pretty easy to help him.'

'You're amazing,' she said in awe, and I blushed.

'N-no, it's nothing like that. I just know what to look for. You should see my mom work with them. She's truly amazing.' Dylan shook her head.

'You're too modest. I know you worked with that horse all on your own.' My blush deepened, and I walked toward the stall I'd prepared for the rescue the previous night. One of the stable hands had already put his name on the nameplate. Dylan. Holy shit. I swallowed, then pulled her over.

'This is the horse we rescued last night.' Dylan, who didn't see the nameplate, smiled.

'He's beautiful! He's a Hanoverian, right?' I nodded, my mouth still dry.

'Uh, yeah, looks like it.'

'What's his name?'

'Well, he doesn't have a show name, but his stable name is… Dylan.'

'But… _My_ name is Dylan.'

'Yeah, I know. Look. See how thin he is? When we got the call to rescue him, he was in a roundpen with no food or water. The whites of his eyes are showing, too. He's pretty scared of us right now.' Dylan shook her head.

'No he isn't. Not of me.' She said it so simply that I believed her.

'How do you know?' She shrugged.

'I just… Know. Listen, you if I tell you something, will you promise to hear me out?' When I nodded, she kept going. 'Ever since I was little, I've been able to tell what people are thinking. I guess you could say I read minds, but it's not quite like that. I feel their emotions, and sometimes words come through, too. Except for you. I can't get anything from you.' I folded my arms and leaned against a stall door.

'That's because I'm blocking my thoughts from you. No offense, or anything. I've never been keen on mind readers,' I said casually. Dylan's jaw dropped.

'You knew? Can you read minds too?'

Okay, one thing I should mention before I continue is that I'm kind of… Maybe… A witch. Of sorts. Oh, don't look at me like that. I can't make a cake out of thin air; I can only move things around and pull elements (fire, water, earth, wind, light, and dark) together for further use. I can generally sense other witches, but there are some that can't control the physical world as well as I can. These witches deal with minds. In a sense, they read minds and emotions. They can't control people, exactly, but they can change peoples' minds if they aren't entirely sold on a decision they have to make.

'Not as well as you can. My specialty is water.' I pulled some water from the air around us and formed a ball in my hand. Dylan's eyes bugged out.

'You have… Water. In a ball. In your hand.' I grinned and put the ball into one of the horses' buckets.

'Yup. Look at what else I can do.' A brush was lying on the ground a few feet away, probably left by one of the students, and I pulled it into my hand. My grin broadened as Dylan's mouth fell open. 'You're a witch, Dylan, and a powerful one if you haven't gone through specific training and you can still hear voices.'

'When did you know?'

'That you were a witch? As soon as I saw your eyes. There's a certain something about them. Mine are the same.'

'You mean that they're silver? Mine are just green, though.' I pushed myself off the door and led Dylan to the house, stopping at the tack room to put back the brush.

'That's just it, though. My eyes _aren't_ silver. To a normal person, they're just brown. When I look in the mirror, I see what they see. I see plain old brown eyes. You can only see silver right now because you are looking at them plainly. If I was wearing glasses, or on the other side of a window, you'd see brown.' To prove my point, I grabbed an empty glass bottle from the porch and held it up to my eyes. Dylan's eyes turned green, and I knew mine were back to brown.

'Oh, that's weird. I have one more question.' I put the bottle back down and nodded. 'Why didn't you tell me all of this when you first met me?' I shrugged.

'I have my reasons. For one, I didn't know how aware you were of your power. Besides, if I'd told you in the hospital, would you have believed me?'

'No,' she replied,' I guess I wouldn't have.'

'You have to be careful when you call out witches. A lot of them don't even know if they have power, especially if they manipulate the physical world. There are no voices then, just the eyes. Physical witches are quite a bit rarer than mental.' She frowned.

'But, you're a physical one, right? I mean, you had the ball of water, and you moved that brush… I can't do any of that.' I chuckled.

'With a lot of studying and practice, you'll be able to do a bit of it. We'll have to figure out your element, but you'll feel more comfortable with mental abilities. Even though I'm physical, it took me a lifetime to be able to control elements and objects that easily. I can hear bits of voices sometimes, but I prefer to stay out of other peoples' minds.' I opened the door to the house and we kicked off our shoes as we went to the kitchen. I walked over to the fridge that was always stocked, since the stable hands came into the house with an appetite for two each a lot, and pulled out two bottles of water. I handed one to Dylan, and we sat down at the bar.

'Thanks,' she said gratefully, and I downed half my bottle in one go. 'So,' she continued, 'all that witch stuff… Do you think you could teach me how to do it?' I hesitated.

'I think my mom would be better suited for that. She's a mental like you, and it would be easier for her to make a connection.' Dylan's face fell a bit.

'Okay,' she said quietly, and I touched her arm.

'Don't think you're getting rid of me that easily. I can still try to teach you physical aspects. Like I said, we'll have to figure out your element, and just how powerful you really are.' I smiled and grabbed my water, screwing the plastic top back on as I donned my paddock boots again.

My mom was in the outdoor arena, teaching one of my beginner classes, since I had been with Dylan. One of the students passed by us on Pillow, the veteran lesson horse. The young girl riding him was very tense, and even though Pillow was the calmest horse we owned, he was getting confused.

'Deep breaths, Leslie,' I reminded her, and she flashed me a smile.

'Thanks, Blaire.'

'No probs.' I turned to Dylan. 'Come on, come meet my mom.' We slipped quietly into the ring, and dodged horses on our way to the centre, where my mom was standing.

'Hey, mom, this is Dylan. She's the girl I heroically saved last night.' Mom laughed.

'At least you're humble, my dear.' She took off her sunglasses to shake Dylan's hand, and her silver eyes widened. 'Oh! You're… Blaire, does she…?' Mom censored herself to avoid revealing us to the students.

'Yeah, she knows. I was wondering if you could teach her. She's a mental.' She nodded.

'Yeah, I'll give it a shot. Have you discovered her element yet?'

'Not yet, but I think it might be fire, judging from how long she was on the street and didn't get hypothermia.' Mom nodded again.

'That's a definite possibility. Don't overlook light, either. It was quite dark, and we still managed to see her.'

'Got it. We'll go for a ride and figure it out.' Mom slipped her sunglasses back on her face, revealing her dark irises once more, and I led Dylan through the barn, pausing only to grab two halters and leads, a helmet for her, and my hat. Once we were out in the paddock, my Friesian mare caught sight of me and wheeled over, squealing excitedly. A grin split my face, and I ran over to her.

'Hi, Solly! Did you miss me?' I quickly put the halter over her nose and fastened it over her ears. 'Gotcha! You've got to be quicker than that!' It was at that moment that I felt Dylan in my mind, and I pushed her out. 'Hey, none of that! It's not polite to be poking around peoples' heads like that.'

'Sorry, but it was the first time I'd felt anything from you. I couldn't resist. Is that your horse?' I laughed.

'How could you tell? Yeah, this is Solitaire, but everyone calls her Solly, for short.'

'She's beautiful… When did you get her?' A fond smile crossed my face.

'I was there for her birth, actually. She'll be seven this year. I trained her myself.' Okay, so maybe I was a little bit too proud, but hell, I worked hard on this horse! Dylan was clearly impressed.

'Wow! So, do you do dressage with her?' I snorted.

'Not at all. I've been trying to work her through some patterns, but it's all very confusing for us. No, we jump.'

'Sorry, you _jump_? I didn't know Friesians _could_ jump.'

'Yeah, they usually don't, but Solly's kind of an exception.' I clipped the lead to her halter and led her to the gate. 'I'm just going to send her to a stall, and we can get a horse for you.' I called James, one of the hands over.

'What's up, Blaire? Have you finally succumbed to my charms?' I burst out laughing.

'Don't let my dad hear you say that. Can you take Solly to a stall for me? I'll clean up any mess she makes.' James gave me a winning smile.

'You got it, baby,' he said cheekily. As he stepped forward to take the lead, he snuck as kiss onto my cheek.

'Oh, get out of here. My dad might not be around, but I could kick your ass just fine on my own.' He just laughed as he led Solly away. I turned back to Dylan, who had an eyebrow raised and a smile on her face.

'Who was that then?' I rolled my eyes.

'Oh, that's just James. He's an idiot.' Dylan shrugged.

'I don't know, he seemed to really like you.'

'Hah! You should see him around my mom. When she offered him a job here, he turned into a massive fanboy. You'll see at dinner tonight. Now, let's get you a horse.' We walked back to the mare paddock and jumped over the gate. I pointed to a roan mare grazing contentedly with a group of lesson horses.

'That's Margo. We use her in beginner lessons, but I didn't see the girl that rides her here today.' After a bit of a chase, Margo allowed herself to be caught, and we walked back to the barn. We groomed and tacked, and headed out on the trails, riding in companionable silence for a while, until Dylan spoke up.

'So, how do we figure this out? I can't imagine it's very simple.'

'Actually, it is pretty simple. We just have to find one of each of the six elements, first. I've got a lighter in my pocket, and there's a flashlight in my saddlebag, so we only need four more. I know where two are, and the other two are easy to find.' We arrived on a ridge overlooking a valley, and I dismounted, pulling the flashlight out of the bag as I slid down Solly's back. 'We've got to leave the horses here. They won't do well where we're going.' Dylan dismounted and we walked toward a wall of rock covered in vines.

'Why are we stopping? This can't be the place.'

'No, it's not. Check this out.' I pulled back the vines to reveal a well-hidden cave and switched the flashlight on as I slipped inside. 'Come on, it's perfectly safe. I found this place when I was nine and I ran away. I wasn't exactly well-prepared. I had three Fruit-to-Gos, and two packages of crackers with cheese dip. I went home after about three hours. Anyway, I know it like the back of my hand.' We made our way to the inner part, carefully avoiding the sharp rocks and stalactites hanging from the ceiling of the cave.

'So, elements are kind of a strange thing. Every witch has a majora and a minora, their strongest and second-strongest, respectively. My majora is water, and my minora is darkness. My mom and I think that your majora is fire, and your minora is light, but we've got to find out for sure.' I laid down the lighter and flashlight, and made a small of dirt beside it. 'There's a pool of water a few feet away, so that'll be our water, and the air and darkness is all around us. Now, we'll start with the fire first.' I stepped toward her and put a hand on her shoulder. 'Concentrate on igniting the lighter. Visualize the energy and heat coming off of it, and when you're ready…' I snapped my fingers, and flame leapt out of the lighter. I waved my hand, and the flame died out.

'Now you try it.' Dylan nodded through the darkness and closed her eyes. After a few moments, I saw the lighter beginning to spark. 'You've got it!' Dylan opened her eyes and broke her concentration, and the lighter went out.

'I felt it,' she said happily, 'I felt some kind of connection, but it seemed like a being.' I nodded.

'That was Espire, the Spirit of Fire. There are six Spirits, one for each element. In konning, which is when witches use the elements, we borrow their power. There's Espire of Fire, Aquist of Water, Aeris of Wind, Gaea of Earth, Lundor of Darkness, and Illumina of Light. The reason we test for elements is because you need to form the bond with each of these Spirits before you can borrow a substantial amount of their power.' Dylan looked concerned in the dim light from the cave opening.

'So, how do we do that, then?'

'Well, you've already formed a bond with Espire. Why don't you tell me how to go about it?' A look of understanding washed over Dylan's elfin features.

'You mean that's all I have to do? Just use the element?' I shrugged.

'That will form a very weak bond, yes. The more you use an element, the stronger the bond becomes. For example, my strongest bond is with Aquist, and she anticipates my next move with water. However, the Aquist in my mind will differ from the one in yours. They are sentient, and each has a different… Personality, I guess you could say. My Aquist is calm and rational, and my Lundor is protective, often blanketing me with a protective cover of darkness when I ask for it.

'Can I try the other ones?' Dylan asked excitedly, and I nodded.

'Of course, that's why we're here. I think it'll be a little tougher for you to make bonds with the other spirits, but don't get discouraged. It took me years and years before I could easily control each element, and I'm a physical. Once you start training with my mom, you'll feel more at home in minds. Now, try bonding with Illumina.' Dylan's eyes fluttered shut again, and she focused her energy on the flashlight in my hand. After a while, my heightened senses picked up the sound of electricity, signifying that the connection with Illumina had been forged.

'Good work. Now try Aeris.' Dylan nodded and gritted her teeth. Nothing happened.

'Again,' I commanded, and she frowned, deepening her concentration. Still, nothing happened. Once more, I spoke.

'Again.' Dylan growled in frustration.

'Blaire, I can't do it.' I shook my head.

'Yes you can. You're unbelievably powerful. Again.'

'Blaire, please. Can't I try one of the other ones?' I shook my head.

'No. Either you bond with Aeris, or you bond with nobody.' I could see her frustration building and energy surged out of her. The air in the cave began to swirl around her, and it knocked me into the deep pool. As I surfaced, I noticed her by the edge of the water, looking at me in horror.

'God, I'm so sorry, Blaire, I didn't mean-'

'Brilliant.'

'I-I'm sorry?'

'That was amazing. Excellent work.' I heaved myself out of the pool and squeezed water out of my long hair.

'You- you knew I would do that,' she accused, and I smiled.

'I'd hoped you would. I had just as much trouble with Aeris when I was younger, and my mom pulled the same thing on me. Only thing was, we weren't down here, so she just hit the dirt.'

'Thanks. Can we come back tomorrow? I'm exhausted.' I nodded.

'I think you've more than earned your rest for the day. Let's head back to the ranch, all right?'

'Yeah, I'm starved!' We made our way back to the horses, who were gorging themselves on the plentiful grass and flowers.

I took off Solly's saddle to protect it from my wet jeans and hid it behind the vines, just inside the cave. I vaulted on bareback, and we headed back, clattering into the yard noisily. My mother was just finishing up one of her more advanced classes, and raised an eyebrow.

'Where's your saddle, Blaire?' I winced and dismounted.

'Ah, I may have had a mishap with some water, and I didn't want to ruin it.' I walked over, my boots squishing against the pavement. 'There was quite a strong wind.' Mom's eyes widened, and she rushed over to where Dylan was atop Margo, standing on her toes to hug her.

'I'm so proud of you, my dear! Oh, you're going to progress beautifully!' Dylan blushed and swung herself off of Margo.

'Um, thanks. Where can I cool Margo off?' she asked shyly.

'Here, I'll show you,' I offered. 'Nobody'll be in the side arena for about an hour, we can let them loose.' My mom nodded.

'Just remember that you have a class to teach soon,' she called after us.

'Yeah, I know. We won't be in there long.' True to my word, the horses had a good roll, and twenty minutes later, they were back in the paddock. I ran upstairs to change and made it down to the barn in record time, just as my first student arrived.

'Hey, Sofia,' I greeted. 'Pineapple's in the gelding field.'

'Thanks, Blaire. Want me to get any of the other ones?' I shook my head.

'No, it's all right. I've got a new lackey.'

'You mean I'm not your pack mule anymore?' James's voice floated into the aisle, and I laughed.

'Oh, don't worry; you're still my go-to lout. I just want Dylan to familiarize herself with the paddocks today. My mom will have something for you to do, you know, if you're looking.'

'No way! I've already got too much to do. These other hands are such slackers. It's like they don't know who your mom is.' I looked away and ran my fingers over one of the nameplates on a stall.

'It doesn't matter who she used to be. It matters who she is now,' I muttered, but James looked unconvinced.

'I don't know, she was one of the best riders in the world. You can't just get away from that.'

'Oh my God.' I turned to find Dylan behind me, her mouth hanging open. 'Your mom is Alina Visser. She's the best dressage rider in the world. Why didn't you tell me? Nobody has heard from her in twenty years!'

'Really, it doesn't matter. Yeah, she used to be a champion rider in the Netherlands, but she moved to Canada to get away from all of that. She bought the farm with the money from the circuit and met my father, then had me. I think this life is far more rewarding than the one she used to have.' I grabbed a few halters and leads from the wall and walked out to the paddocks without another word. I passed Sofia on the way out and smiled.

'You can start on Pineapple outside, hon. You know the drill. If you need any help, ask my mom or James, all right?'

'Sure thing, Blaire. English or Western today?'

'Actually, I was thinking we could try bareback. Just pick whichever bridle you're more comfortable with, okay? And since we don't have to waste time with saddles, I expect that pony of yours to be immaculately groomed.' I held out my hand, and Sofia shook it, all business- if you didn't notice the impish smile on her face.

'You're so good with her,' Dylan said behind me, 'I thought people that were good with horses were supposed to be social pariahs.'

'A few are, that's for sure, and horses are definitely easier to get along with, but I just treat Sofia-and the rest of my students, for that matter- like one of my friends. The truth is, on some level, they _are_ my friends.' I opened the mare gate and ushered Dylan through.

'You don't find a lot of instructors with a relationship like that with their students,' she mused, and I shrugged.

'It makes better riders. If your students like you, they'll try harder to please you, and you can raise your standards without arousing suspicion. Come watch the lesson, you'll see.'

'I wouldn't miss it.' I smiled at her and turned back toward the horses.

'Okay, we need two mares from this paddock, and a gelding from the one beside it, then we need to set up a pattern in the big arena with pylons and barrels. I've drawn it up in my notebook.' Dylan flashed me a salute.

'You've got it, boss. I can get the gelding if you'd like. I have a feeling you'd handle two horses at a time better than me.'

'All right, you can go get that big grey over there. His name is Harry, and he can be a bit of a devil to catch, but just corner him, and you'll be fine.' She nodded and slipped under the fence to fight with Harry's freedom while I found Autumn and Syren in the small herd. Syren, the small blanket Appaloosa was easy enough to spot on the outskirts of the herd, a bit of a social outcast, and I approached her softly.

'Hey girl, you ready for a nice easy ride tonight?' I cooed while I slipped the lead over her neck, 'Rhett's getting pretty good on you, don't you think? Soon enough, he'll be racing around the trails with you.' Syren snorted in excitement, and I chuckled.

'Soon, baby, but not today.' I quickly fastened the halter behind her ears and clipped the lead to it. 'He's just now gotten the hang of trotting.' I scanned the paddock again for Autumn and found her in the middle of the rest of the mares, greedily munching hay like she'd been starved. Her roan coat was caked in dried mud, and I groaned.

'Autumn, you pig. Emma's never going to be able to get that all off of you,' I tsk'ed, and looped Syren's lead over her neck. 'You stay here while I go get your buddy,' I told her, and strode confidently into the herd. I clucked my tongue and swung the other lead toward the now disgruntled mares.

'Get up, come on. Let's go, ladies. The hay will still be here when I leave.' The mares began to shuffle away from their food, and Autumn wheeled away from me, giving an excited buck as she went.

'All right, let's do it your way.' I cut her off with the rope and stepped in front of her. 'I am _not_ going to give up, and you know it. Besides, why don't you want to come in? Emma always give you treats after the lesson.' At the word 'treats,' her ears pricked up and she stopped in her tracks.

'Good girl, I murmured, and stepped toward her carefully, slowly. I reached out my hand, and she nudged it with her nose, always curious, even though I retrained her myself. I stroked her muzzle, working my way to her neck and giving it a good scratch. While she was distracted, I flung the rope around her triumphantly and laughed when her head swivelled around to glare at me in surprise.

'Oh, gotcha! Come on,' I said as I put on her halter, 'let's get you cleaned up.' I led her over to Syren who was still standing patiently where I'd left her.

'Dylan, have you got Harry?' I called, as I opened the gate.

'Yeah, but it wasn't easy; you weren't kidding,' she said breathlessly.

'The rest of my students should be here by now, let's get these guy tied to the hitching post, then I'll let you set that pattern up while I help the students with grooming.'

'You're in charge. Lead on,' Dylan said, trying to mask her excitement, and I smiled. Two of my riders met us halfway down the aisle, and I greeted them warmly.

'Rhett, Emma! How's it going, you two? Have you been practicing what I told you last week?'

'You bet, Blaire,' Emma said with excitement, while Rhett just nodded shyly.

'Excellent. Here are your horses, guys.' I held out the mares' leads, and tried not to laugh at Emma's expression. 'Don't worry, I'll help you with her. Uh, where's your brother?' She rolled her eyes.

'Ethan's sick. My mom called earlier.' I caught sight of Dylan's expression, and bit my lip to avoid laughing.

'I wish my mom had told me earlier. My new friend just caught Harry for me, and I think she's a little worn out, now. Can you tie him to the post anyway? I've gotta get today's pattern ready.' I handed her the last rope, and the two of them led the horses to be groomed. I pulled Dylan toward the tack room and retrieved the Harry's bridle and my lesson book. I flipped through it at a dizzying pace, then handed it to her when I found the right page.

'The 'x's are pylons, the lines are ground poles, and the circles are barrels. Just put the poles wherever, and I'll adjust the distance later, okay? Everything is in the indoor arena, so I'm afraid you're going to have to carry it _all._' Dylan stared at the book for a while, then glanced back up.

'You're devious, Blaire. I think I've got it. She skipped out of the barn and toward the arena, and I grabbed a spare grooming kit.

'All right, guys, we're going to ride bareback today, so I want those horses sparkling with the extra grooming time, all right?' I hung Harry's bridle on a nearby hook and went to town on his coat, currying and polishing until there wasn't a speck of dirt on him. I mean, it helped that he was just a generally clean horse, too. I picked his feet in record time and ducked over to Emma.

'If you can't get it all off with the rubber curry, use the scraper. Just be a bit gentle, okay? You know how sensitive her skin is.' I checked in with Rhett, who was having a few problems with Syren's feet, and finally, I was talking to Sofia, who had finished basic grooming a while back, and was now braiding Pineapple's mane.'

'Now _that's_ a fine looking gelding. Here, I'll finish him up while you go and grab his bridle.'

'Okay, Blaire. I can use his English one, right?'

'Of course. That's your decision today.' Her face lit up at that, and she skipped toward the student tack room.

Here's the thing about our ranch. It's pretty big. We've got two indoor arenas, four outdoor, and three roundpens. People come from all over the province to board here, or train here, and while my mom and I do the rehabilitating, lessons, and a considerable amount of the training, we obviously need help. We've got stable hands, grooms and part time trainers.

There's the student tack room, the boarder tack room, and the owner tack room, where I keep all four of my saddles and three bridles. My mother's equipment is in there, and though my dad doesn't have as much, his Western tack is in there as well. Needless to say, it's pretty cramped.

We have a heated office above the barn where my dad spends most of his time working on payroll or God knows what else, and a lounge for the boarders and staff beside that. There's also another private lounge for owners, which is where I spend most of my time. It's where I work on my schoolwork, research new training and rehabilitation techniques and meditate. My parents don't use it much, since my dad's always in the office and my mom prefers to be outside, so they let me decorate it however I wanted, as long as I kept up with university and barn chores.

The room is painted a deep blue, close to black, the walls highlighted by shiny silver decals. There's a flat screen TV adorning one wall and a couch and beanbag chairs lining the other. A dark mahogany desk sits in the corner, my laptop usually sitting open on it. The carpet is soft and fluffy, almost a shag, and books are often covering it.

Only those with a key can access the lounge, and it's permanently on my key ring, along with keys for our big colonial-style house, all three tack rooms, the feed room, and the other lounge. The ring is usually in my jacket pocket, but since it's currently the middle of June- thus thirty five degrees Celsius- I'm wearing a tank top, and I'm about to teach, I've hidden it in a hanging flowerpot.

Speaking of teaching, Sofia was heading back to Pineapple, correct bridle in hand. I sent a telepathic message to my mother to come and help the other students, and I coaxed Harry's bit into his mouth, sliding the crownpiece over his ears swiftly.

'Good boy,' I soothed as he played with it in his mouth, 'you ready for some fun?' I received an impatient snort in response and smirked. 'Hey guys, my mom is going to come and help you if you're not ready. Just tell her which bridle you'd like to use and she'll go get it. I'm going to help Sofia warm up.' The big indoor arena was currently occupied by a few boarders we liked to call the Crusaders, a small group of fourteen year old girls hell-bent on being the best jumpers in the ranch, so I led us down to the biggest outdoor beside the barn where Dylan was still staring at the pattern.

'Hey, Blaire, I think I'm done. I think. Can you look it over for me?' I glanced at Sofia standing meekly beside me, and noticed for the first time how intimidating Dylan could look, with her long legs and intense eyes and her shiny red hair.

'Oh, Sofia, this is Dylan. She'll be helping me out for this lesson. She did a mighty fine job on this pattern, wouldn't you say?' Dylan beamed at the praise and waved at my young student.

'Hi, Sofia. It's nice to meet you,' she said kindly, and Sofia returned a small smile.

'You too, Dylan. Do you have a horse?'

'Nah, not yet. I really want one, though. They're so pretty, don't you think?'

'Yeah. Pineapple is the prettiest horse in the world, I think,' Sofia's initially shy demeanor was wearing off, and she was becoming more animated. Dylan laughed.

'Yeah, I love his coloring. He's a palomino, right?'

'Yeah, he's pineapple colored. Get it?' She giggled. 'He's a Welsh Pony. Blaire says that I might be able to start cantering with him soon.'

'Wow, won't you be scared?' I smiled at their interaction. Dylan was a natural with kids. Sofia shook her head.

'No way, I'm brave,' she announced, then changed her mind. 'Well, maybe a little, but I know Blaire won't let anything bad happen to me.''

'That's right, Sofia. I won't make you do anything until you're completely ready for it, okay? Here, I've got to talk to Dylan for a while, why don't you take that pretty pony of yours around for a walk around the arena?' The young girl nodded and set off confidently.

'She's cute,' Dylan noted, 'how old is she?' I shrugged.

'She's ten, I believe.'

'And you let her have that much responsibility? She went into that paddock all on her own.'

'I trust her. She knows her way around horses. A lot of natural talent, that one.' Dylan laughed in disbelief.

'You're really something else, Blaire. All those expensive horses and you don't think twice about sending in a little girl.'

'Like I said, I trust her. She's been riding for a couple of years now, and I've been with her from the beginning.' My voice was getting defensive, and I cleared my throat. 'Anyway, let's take a look at those ground poles.'

* * *

**Wow, so much better! Chapter two coming soon!**


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